Unit 9 - God the Father
slideshow
slide 13
god the creator
- what is creation?
- production or transformation (human understanding)
- production of something out of nothing (theological understanding)
- we create using items and objects that already exist
- for god, nothing existed for him to create with
- god the father creates “ex nihilo” (out of nothing)
- he created by his word, he willed creation into existence through his infinite power
- every act of god involves all three persons of the trinity
- father creates through the sun and the holy spirit
god the creator - god the son
- in the beginning was the word
- jesus is eternal
- the word was with god
- jesus is part of the trinity
- the word was god
- jesus is divine
god the creater - the holy spirit
- the holy spirit in the creation story
- spirit of god was moving over the face of the waters (genesis 1:2)
- god breathed into man the “breath of life” (genesis 2:7)
- spirit → breath
why did god create?
- why do humans create?
- god creates -
- not to show off, not to fulfill some need within him
- god creates out of pure love and he provides good things to his creatures
orders of creation
- two orders of creation
- visible, material universe
- earth
- invisible, spiritual order of the angels
- heavens
why did god create?
- god created out of love
- love by nature wants to overflow
- god created in order that his creatures may participate and share in his love and happiness
- all creation reflects the goodness, truth and beauty of god
man set apart
- created things glorify god, but are not aware of doing so
- man is able to give god glory in a unique and special way
- contemplate beauty, recognize god as its source, praise the creator
the beginning of creation
- creation story in genesis chapter 1-3
- the catholic church affirms the truth that scripture truly is the word of god
- a key distinction is that scripture was not written as a modern scientific article would be written
- scripture presents the intention of why god created much more than how he created
| day | what he created |
|---|---|
| day 1 | light |
| day 2 | sky |
| day 3 | land, sea, and plants |
| day 4 | sun, moon, and stars |
| day 5 | birds and fish |
| day 6 | animals and humans |
| day 7 | rest |
god’s power in creation
- all creation is ^^good^^ because god created it
- ^^divine preservation^^ - god continues and maintains the existence of created things
- ^^divine providence^^ - god provides for his creatures what they need to fulfill the purpose or end assigned to them
- ^^divine governance^^ - god keeps his creation in order
man made in god’s image and likeness
- being in the image of god makes us god’s sons and daughters
- the human person is a ^^rational being^^, composed of ^^body and soul^^, who is ^^designed for happiness^^
- material body (matter)
- our bodies are good because god created them
- immortal soul (form)
- soul →. spirit, breath, life
- infused by god at conception, returns to god at death
- our souls will be reunited to our bodies at the last judgement
intrinsic dignity of the human person
- humans have inherent dignity because they have received an immortal soul with the gift of intellect and free will directly from god
- we have the ability to give, to love, and, ultimately, to sacrifice
- we are presented with the choice to love god or not
- human life has value independent of a person’s usefulness to society
marriage as the image of god
- god created adam and eve for unity in marriage
- marriage → instituted by god and part of his design for humanity
- man and woman enter into a permanent, lifelong, and indissoluble union, and through their unity conceive and bear children
- man and woman become “co-creators” with god himself
- union of husband and wife reflects the unity that exists amongst the persons of the blessed trinity